A lot of my life choices have been reckless and spontaneous. As I get older and work toward my goals, the reckless behavior continues

How I Save Money and Build My Credit

Today is Friday and the weekend is almost here! Tonight I agreed to work at my second job ($$$), but it will be a fun shift. We have to go out to San Francisco and pass out flyers for our upcoming concert. I am excited to be out and about tonight, even though it will be cold as hell in the city.

Today I wanted to focus on saving methods. I have really been building credit the last couple years, and people have been asking me how so I decided to provide a list of ways I think will help you save money and therefore achieve greatness. In this expensive world credit is EVERYTHING.

1.LEAVE YOUR CREDIT CARDS AT HOME

Okay so I have two credit cards. Both of them stay at home until there is something specific I want to use them for. I know leaving your cards at home seems stupid in case of emergencies, but not having your cards on you will definitely limit impulse buys. There are plenty of times when I thought “Dang, if only I had my card on me,” so I’m happy I had a barrier to spending.

2.USE ENVELOPES

I found the envelope system online and I loved it when I used to incorporate it. You create a budget for the month and you take out the money you will need. You put the money in the different envelopes and take it out as needed. With this system you have to have discipline to not go to the bank and get more money out and to not use your cards. I had an envelope for gas, tithes and offerings, food, rent and random things.

3.MEAL PREP

Meal prepping will for sure help you save money. Making things like a pot of spaghetti, fish and chicken will last you a couple days. Take the day you are the most available and make a habit of cooking for the week. Get you some Tupperware and you will not have to go to fast food restaurants and spend $5 to $15 every time you work. Buying groceries is so less expensive than buying a lunch everyday. Just try it and you will be amazed at how much you save.

4.START CHARGING BIG PURCHASES

Charging big purchases that you can afford is smart. Instead of swiping your card for small purchases that add up use your card for like a television or booking a trip. For example, I was going to pay for my car with all cash, but the man at the dealership was like wait you should charge like $2,000 of it on your card, deposit the $2,000 you have in cash and just pay it off immediately after. Smartest advice he gave me!

5.PAY MORE THAN THE MINIMUM

Instead of paying the minimum $45 I recommend paying more if you can afford it. If you have $100 you can spare, use it toward your credit card balance. Your balance will decrease so much faster by paying more than the minimum. I usually never pay the minimum unless the struggle is absolutely real.

6.CHOOSE ONE THING A MONTH TO SACRIFICE

I saw this method on Pinterest and I loved it. It basically said to pick something once a month to refrain from. For example, if you spend money partying don’t do it all of March and then the next month you pick something else like no Starbucks. This one comes with recognizing where your money is being spent. Like don’t pick no clothes shopping if you’re not a big clothes shopper. Big something that you seriously indulge in frequently.

7.BUY IN BULK

Buying in bulk will save you a lot of money. For example, I love chips and I realize that I go get a bag of hot Cheetos or Doritos from the gas station like every other day. This is so stupid, because they cost like $1.95 a bag when I could just go to Costco and get some kind of pack. This is also true for drinks and like every other grocery. Instead of buying for dinner for one night, invest in more and just freeze it. This is more cost efficient.

8.ALWAYS HAVE A SECOND INCOME

I usually have two sources of income. Right now I have three- a full time job, a part time job and baby sitting on the side. I advise everyone to get a second income whether it be occasional uber, Lyft, Door Dash, doing hair. The second income doesn’t have to work you to death, but occasional small amounts can be very beneficial. For example, I got a check from my second job today for like $50. It isn’t much, but it’s $50 I didn’t have. Don’t sleep on extra money.

9.USE PIGGY BANKS

Having piggy banks are smart. Instead of having change in random places, put it all in one place. You will be amazed at how much money you will have once it’s full. I found on Pinterest that if you deposit quarters into a 2 liter it will be $500 once it is full. I don’t know if this is true, but me and my mom are doing it now LOL. It also said a 2 liter of dimes is $300. I will let you guys know if this is accurate, but I feel like it’s smart either way.

10.PLAN AHEAD, AVOID BEING SPONTANEOUS

I am not saying don’t do spontaneous things. You should always have money planned for random things, but as far as trips and plane tickets and things of that nature paying at the last minute is all bad. It will be more expensive without doubt, so if you know you want to go to New York in the summer you should buy a ticket like ASAP. You will save so much being proactive.

I hope these tips help someone in some way! I am not the richest person (not even close LOL), but these methods have definitely benefited me and helped me stack my chips. Try at least one or two and let me know how it goes.